Go Ye

July 20th, 2007

I have a special story that I would like to share with you. I believe that in the times we are now living, we must be careful not to shriek back in fear and consider our lives only. The call of God rings louder as we see prophecy unfolding before our very eyes. If you follow the news today, you will see a picture of end time prophecy being presented by the systems of the world who do not even know what they are presenting.

KNOW YE NOT, THAT TO WHOM YE YIELD YOURSELVES SERVANTS TO OBEY, HIS SERVANTS YE ARE TO WHOM YE OBEY; WHETHER OF SIN UNTO DEATH OR OF RIGHTEOUSNESS UNTO OBEDIENCE? ROMANS 6:16

It was a dark and stormy night. Most of the sheep had come back to the fold, but three of them were missing. The faithful watch dog was lying in a corner of her kennel with her young and thought her toils were over for the day. Suddenly the shepherd called her and pointing to the flock cried: “three are missing, go.” She gave a sad look at her little ones, and then a look of obedient love at her master, and off into the darkness she plunged. Back she came after an hour with two of the sheep. There was blood upon her and also upon them. Hard she had fought for their lives with the thorns and torrents, but they were saved. With a grateful look she threw herself down in the kennel and gathered her brood to her bosom once more. But once again the master called with his stern but very kind voice, and pointing to the wilderness said, “one is still lost, go.” She looked up into his face with a look of unutterable longing, and if looks could speak, her glance uttered a farewell and into the the darkness she plunged once more. It was not long before she returned. Late in the night a feeble scratching was heard upon the door. The shepherd rose up to open it. There was the faithful watch dog crouched half dead. Along side her was the poor wounded sheep trembling and bleeding, she had found the one lost sheep but it was at the cost of her very life. One look she gave into her master’s face which seemed to say, “I have loved you better than my own life” and then she crawled over into her kennel and lay down with her little ones and there she grew still in death. She loved her master and given her own life for his lost sheep.

If a dog could love her master unto death like that, with no eternity to reward her, no heaven to await her, only the smile of her master’s approval in the last moments of her life, what should our Master not expect from us for whom He has given His life already and to whom he wants to give a recompense that can never fade away? Shall we catch His glance as He looks out into the darkness and cries “A THOUSAND MILLION ARE LOST, GO YE.”

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I will be leaving April 16^th for my overseas crusade. I will be preaching in several locations in Europe. Due to the fact that we would have to be away for a very lengthy time, I am postponing my trip to the Congo for a later date when I do not already have several obligations. I am asking you to remember to pray for me and those who will be traveling with me to do the work of God. Please pray for our families. It is not always easy to leave behind the ones you love so much. However, I have heard the call to “go ye” into the darkness of the world. The spirit of God reminded me in the early hours of daybreak this morning that no price is too big for the salvation of a lost human being who has nothing to look forward to after this life but eternal damnation and torment for ever. Sometimes I have said to myself that it is not necessary for me to go because there are preachers everywhere in the world that can do it. But then I am reminded that one lost soul may be reached because I am obedient to the call. I recall the parable of the lost sheep. Matthew 18:11-14 “FOR THE SON OF MAN IS COME TO SAVE THAT WHICH IS LOST. HOW THINK YE? IF A MAN HAVE A HUNDRED SHEEP, AND ONE OF THEM BE GONE ASTRAY, DOTH HE NOT LEAVE THE NINETY AND NINE AND GOETH INTO THE MOUNTAINS AND SEEKETH THAT WHICH IS GONE ASTRAY? EVEN SO IT IS NOT THE WILL OF YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN THAT ONE OF THESE LITTLE ONES SHOULD PERISH.” If on this mission trip, just one soul was saved, it would be worth all the cost, whatever that may be. What value can you place on a man’s soul? What cost is too high to save one individual from an eternal damnation if we can prevent it? We must remember that this life is the only time we have to proclaim the good news that Jesus Christ

has come to save that which is lost. Jesus gave a commission to his disciples to “GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE. HE THAT BELIEVETH AND IS BAPTIZED SHALL BE SAVED; BUT HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT SHALL BE DAMNED.” Mark 16:15-16 “GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD” not where we desire to but go into ALL THE WORLD. Jesus is not willing that any should perish. He went to the cross and suffered and died. He took sin and death and went to hell in our place. He arose and revived and ascended back to the throne of God from whence He came so that we might be forgiven and redeemed by His blood. We can never do what He did for any man, but we can GO YE and proclaim the good news to all men wherever we are and wherever we are called to. Aren’t you glad that someone reached you? I have seen many souls saved in the crusades in the past and have in the last two weeks received testimony from Libreville, Gabon, of the life changing power of God when I was there in 2000. It is worth the price we have to pay to hear men say “the Lord has changed my life completely and I am now serving Him.”

I know that everyone cannot go to Europe with me, but you can be a part by helping me to go. When you help me carry out this commission, you also are carrying it out. I believe that when one contributes support for the preaching of the gospel, they reap the rewards of the one who is carrying it out. I want to remind you of what Paul said to the Philippian’s in Chapter 4:15-17 “Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift: but I DESIRE FRUIT THAT MAY ABOUND TO YOUR ACCOUNT.” I will get to the place that God has called me to go, but I also, like Paul, desire fruit that it may abound to your account. I believe that the Lord spoke to my heart when I stepped out into this evangelistic ministry that He has and is raising up people with a purpose to support this ministry financially and in every other way that it is needed. I believe that many of you will hear the call of God to help me put in the sickle and bring forth a harvest of souls for Jesus before the end comes. I am enclosing an envelope for your convenience. If you feel that the Lord would have you support this ministry, I know that you will also reap the rewards of it. God is raising up men and women today who know that investing in souls brings greater returns than investing in temporal things. The rewards are eternal. They go with us when we pass from this life to the next. If the only investments a man or woman make in this world is temporal, when he passes from here there will be no rewards that go with him. The only thing that lasts is that which we have done for Christ. I am thanking you ahead of time for your obedience to the voice of the Lord.

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JESUS, OUR RESTORATION AND RECOVERY

July 15th, 2007

Joel 2:23-26
The Bible says in Joel 2:23-26 “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wonderously with you; and my people shall never be ashamed.” The Bible speaks here about the cankerworm, the caterpillar and the palmerworm which stole the blessing of the children of Zion. The word “sent” implies that he allowed the destroyers. The truth is that today our enemy, the destroyer, is the devil. Jesus said in John 10:10-11 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” The devil stole the first time in the garden of Eden when he deceived Adam and Eve. There would never have been any death, disease, poverty, lack, want or heartache to any of us if Adam had not agreed with Eve and yielded to the temptation of the evil one, satan. There would have been no curse upon man or the earth if Adam had not disobeyed God. Because he did, we had to have one who could redeem us from our sinful nature and give back all that He had planned for us. That Restorer was none other than Jesus Christ. He came to earth and took upon himself flesh and blood and destroyed sin by becoming sin for us. The Bible says in II Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him”.
It is through faith in his sacrifice on the cross of Calvary that we now have been made free from the nature of sin. II Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Do you believe that? Do you really believe that when you are born again that you become a new creature? Do you believe that the word of God is true when it says “old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new?” Since our new birth we are not the same. We are new creatures and no longer live under the dominion of sin and death and all its fruits. We have been restored. Jesus recovered us from the enemy through his death and resurrection and we no longer are under the dominion of the devil.
Now Jesus wants to restore unto us all that the enemy has stolen. “And I will restore unto you” is a word for us now! Jesus has come to restore life, peace, joy, health, soundness and blessings. Some of you or your family have been suffering with sickness and disease. Divisions and strife in your family have almost destroyed you. You have been oppressed by many situations. Maybe your sons or daughters have gone astray and the enemy has brought much heartache into your life. Some of you have experienced the work of the enemy in your ministry or in your church. Many are experiencing the disaster of financial shortage and poverty. These are all things that Jesus came to restore unto us.�
We must not lose faith and give up! Faith in Jesus and his word is the only way to receive restoration and recovery from the work of the enemy. Jesus has bought us with a price. By his own blood he has bought us out from under these curses. We must have faith in Jesus Christ and his finished work at Calvary. When Jesus was at the point of his sacrificial death he cried out with a loud voice “it is finished.” That means that sin and all of it’s consequences had been defeated for those who accept him as their savior. That means that the work of the destroyer no longer has dominion over you. The Bible says that old things pass away and all things become new when you are born again. Jesus will restore you to the kingdom of life and forgive every sin. He will restore to you the years that the enemy has stolen and destroyed. All the years that you missed, God can make them up to you. All the love that you missed, he can give to you. All the fears and failures, he can give you faith and success. All the weeping and sorrow, he can give you joy and happiness. All the years you have wasted, he can give them back to you. He can give you all that the enemy has stolen from you in a short time if you have faith and trust in him. Look to Jesus today and you will be able to receive restoration and recover all that belongs to you by faith. HE CAN GIVE YOU RESTORATION AND RECOVER ALL THAT HAS BEEN STOLEN FROM YOU!

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YOUR “THIS” IS POSSIBLE

July 15th, 2007

Matthew 9: 27-30
“And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.
And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: And Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, yea, Lord.
Then touched he their eyes, saying, according to your faith be it unto you.
And their eyes were opened;”
Here we see two blind men following after Jesus. These men are crying out, desperately trying to get the attention of Jesus. They must have heard about this man from Galilee who went about healing the sick and doing good works. Someone may have been leading them by the hand or perhaps they were stumbling around trying to get within distance of him to be heard. It probably would have been easier to just stand back and let the crowd go on but these men saw an opportunity to receive their sight. We don’t have any details about how long they had been blind, whether from birth or some other means, but we do see that they are seeking after something they desire. They could not pass this opportunity up. Jesus was close by and they chose to go after their sight. Their healing was within crying distance. The blind men cried out “Thou son of David, have mercy on us.” They cried out to Jesus and asked for mercy. Psalms 130:7 says “ O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is abundant redemption.” In Ephesians 2:4, we are told that God is rich in mercy. That means that there is an abundant supply, more than enough, for whatever we need from the Lord. Mercy is what we found at the cross and nothing was left out so that we might have an abundant life. The Bible says that when Jesus had come into the house, the blind men came to him. He simply asked them a question. His words to them were “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” From this we can assume that their believing had everything to do with their receiving. Recall in Mark 9, a father brought his son to Jesus after their disciples had failed to cast out a devil that was destroying him. This evil spirit would cause him to throw himself into fire and into water. The father said to Jesus “If thou can do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.” This is what many people say when they are in need of a healing or a blessing. “If thou can do anything” implies that the father did not really know if Jesus could help his son. Many prayers of saints today indicate that they also do not know what Jesus can or will do. Their requests consist of doubt that Jesus can and that he is willing do what the word of God promises. It is very important to know the will of God concerning your problems. If you see in the Bible that it is a promise, you don’t have to pray with the words this father said to Jesus. Now pay close attention to how Jesus answered him. He said to him “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Jesus gave him a part in the results of his request for his son. He said to him “If thou canst believe.” The word “If” implies a condition. Believing was the necessity for receiving what his son needed. Impossibilities can take place for us if we can have faith and trust in Jesus. Many people say to me that they hope that it is God’s will to heal them or to deliver them. They hope that is his will to give them that breakthrough in their family, or maybe their finances. Remember Jesus said a simple word to this father “if thou canst believe.” Hebrews 11:6 tells us “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” We cannot please God without faith. We cannot receive from God without faith. What must we believe? That when we go to God we must not only believe that he is, but that he will reward us when we diligently seek him. This is a good word for you today! “Believe that he is and that he is a rewarder.”
I believe that Jesus is asking you today the same thing he asked the two blind men. “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” What is this that you want Jesus to do for you today? Could your “this” be a healing in your body, perhaps a healing in your marriage, or maybe a new door opened for your ministry, your business or your job? Maybe your “this” is forgetting the hurts, the heartaches, or the wrongs that you have suffered. Maybe forgiving yourself for hurting someone else or wronging others is your “this”. Perhaps your “this” might be your heartache over the death of a loved one . Whatever the case may be, say to Jesus what the blind men said. They said “yea, Lord.” The scriptures tell us “then touched he their eyes, saying, according to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened;” The word yea or yes indicates that they believed Jesus. He said to them “according to your faith be it unto you.” Hear what Jesus said: He opened their eyes according to their faith. I believe that Jesus is waiting for you to say from your heart, not your head, “yea, Lord, I believe that you are able to do this for me.” Allow Jesus to do something for you in your impossible situation. “If thou canst believe all things are possible.” Your THIS is possible!

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“TIS SO SWEET TO TRUST IN JESUS”

July 15th, 2007

“TIS SO SWEET TO TRUST IN JESUS” is a powerful hymn written by someone who obviously walked through trials and tribulations that inspired him to put these words on paper. This song is so powerful that generations of Christians have, and still do, sing it. I heard a brother sing this old church hymn the other day, and as he sang, the words rang out from Heaven and penetrated the depths of my heart. I could not stop the sounds of its victory and that is why I am writing this letter to you today. We sometimes do not hear the true message until our ears are opened and the Spirit revealed it to our heart. You, like me may have sung this song many times and it was just another song. Today, I want you to look at the words at the top of this page, and sing this victorious hymn right there where you are. Sing it to yourself or to whoever may be listening. You may say to yourself, “This is a foolish thing to do right now.” Do you know that it is the foolish things that God uses to confound the wise of this world? As you sing to yourself and absorb the words into your heart, give some deep thought to the sweet victory there is in trusting Jesus.
I believe today as you read this letter and perhaps sing this song, whether to yourself or to someone else, the anointing of God is going to penetrate the words and it is going to begin even now to destroy the yoke of discouragement, of doubt, of confusion, of heartache, and even of that sickness or bondage you are experiencing. You have promised yourself over and over that you are going to be better and do better, but you have miserably failed. Well, God is not a failure and I believe that when you really trust in Him, resting upon His promise, and taking Him at His word, you are going to begin to see a difference. You will see that there is a difference when you put your trust in what He can do instead of what you can do. I believe the writer of this hymn found that Jesus was truly trustworthy and that He was true to His word. How amazing it is that the saints who wrote so many words of truth that we sing today can still encourage us and bring faith into our hearts, even after they have proved God and gone on to a place where there are no more problems, no more oppression, no more enemies, but the fulfillment of His promise of a better home called Heaven.
I know that some of you are facing a problem that seems too big for you to handle. You may be walking in the midst of a trial that is too much for you to endure. Remember the words of the hymn. Do you trust in Jesus? Are you taking Him at His word? Are you resting upon His promise? Do you know “Thus saith the Lord?” His promises are a resting place. They are a place to find peace in the midst of fear. They are a place to find joy and delight in the midst of sadness and sorrow.�
A promise is a place of comfort in unbearable circumstances. Isaiah 26:3 says “THOU WILT KEEP HIM IN PERFECT PEACE WHOSE MIND IS STAYED ON THEE.” Trusting Jesus causes us to have a quiet heart. A quiet heart is a heart that is not disturbed or anxious. I read a story about a sun bird which is a native of India. The sun bird is the tiniest of all birds. The story about this tiny bird illustrates from nature the kind of trust I am talking about. A woman named Amy Carmichael observed this little sun bird outside her window one day while in India. The sun bird builds a pendant nest, hanging it by four frail threads, generally from a spray of valaris. The nest is a delicate work of art, with its roof and tiny porch. Just a splash of water or a child’s touch might destroy it. She watched the sun bird building such a nest just before the monsoon season, and felt that for once, the bird wisdom had surely failed; for how could such a delicate structure, in such an exposed situation, weather the winds and the torrential rains? Soon the monsoon broke, and from her window she watched the nest swaying with the branches in the fierce wind. Then she perceived that the nest had been so placed that the leaves immediately above it formed little gutters which carried the floods of water away from the nest. There sat the sun bird, with its tiny head resting on her little porch, and whenever a drop of water fell on her long and curved beak, she sucked it in as if it were nectar. The storms raged furiously, but the sun bird sat, quiet and unafraid, hatching her tiny eggs. We have a more secure and stable rest for our head and heart than the sun bird’s porch.
When the storms of life become turbulent and terrifying, the promises of God are like the gutters that carried the rain away from the sun bird’s nest. We can rest and know that we are in a secure place and the hard rains of the storms of life cannot drown us, but will actually give us a refreshing and new faith will be birthed as we see how God keeps His promises. Resting on “Thus saith the Lord” will keep us in peace.

Hebrews 6:16-18:
“For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD TO LIE, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:”
We can rest, knowing that God cannot lie. “For all the promises of God, are in him yea and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20). In 2 Peter 1:4 Peter said “Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
The hymn says “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.” What a comfort it is when we put all our faith and trust in Him. We stop trusting ourselves and others to do for us what only He can and has promised to do. I can tell you that I have not been able to keep all of the promises that I have made in good faith at some time or other. You probably have made some promises that you were not able to keep. God will never fail us! He will keep His promises to those who believe them. His Word is settled forever in Heaven and it never changes. He and His word are one so that means that He never changes either. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct thy paths.” In Psalms 37:25 David said “I have been young, and am now old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging for bread.” He also said in Psalms 103:1-4 “Bless, the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies.”
My brothers and sisters in Christ, and whoever else may pick this letter up and read it, I believe “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at his word, Just to rest upon His promise, Just to say “Thus saith the Lord.” You can trust Him to be faithful.
Evangelist Sarah Banks

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TO KNOW HIM IS TO LOVE HIM

July 15th, 2007

Philippians 3:10
The greatest love story in all of history is the love of God for the humanity that He created. No love ever written can compare to this one. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Who is this God that loved us when we were unlovable, ungodly, dead in our sins, and without any strength to help ourselves. Who is this God who unconditionally took the sentence of death in our place to give us life? Many can identify Him as the one who turned the water into wine, or the one who fed thousands with a few little fishes and a several loaves of bread. Some would identify Him even as the one who went to the cross of calvary and bleed and died there. All of these would be right, but who is this one who performed all these great things? Who is this one that we celebrate every Christmas and Easter? Knowing Him is more than just knowing about Him. The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:10 “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” How well do you know Jesus?
The Amplified Bible says it like this: “For my determined purpose is that I may know Him – that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His person more strongly and clearly.” Paul is saying that it is my purpose to know him and to become very deeply acquainted with Him. I believe to really love someone, you have to know them. You have to have a real understanding of who that person is. I don’t believe that we can truly love and trust someone that we do not know. Even in our relationships with other people, you cannot love someone without knowing them and having some kind of faith and trust in them. You can never know a person unless you spend time with them. People who spend a great deal of time together know each other well. They can know what that other person is thinking without them even saying it. They can know their heart in any given circumstance. To know someone is to know their thoughts toward you. Do you know His thoughts toward you? Do you know that His thoughts toward you are good? Jeremiah 29:11 (Amplified Bible) “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace, and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.” God’s thoughts toward us are for our good and not for our destruction. No one can be intimate with someone they fear. He does not remember every mistake you make and use it against you to keep from blessing you.

The unchangeable love of God will not fail us. We will know that He forgives us and remembers our sins no more. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” To know Him is to believe Him and to act upon His word. To act as if we don’t believe Him is an indication that we do not know Him very intimately. We must take time to know Jesus and there is no way to know Him unless we take time in His word and in prayer and seeking Him. When you truly know Him, you will not fear Him. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment.” 1 John 4:18. If we come to know His nature and His will for us, we will not be afraid of Him, but we will know that He loves us with unfailing love and we can trust Him. Our one main purpose and goal should be to know Him. That is what salvation is all about. All other things spring forth from a relationship with Him.

There is no fruit in our lives unless we abide in the vine. Apart from Him, we are just religious. As good as many things are, works are not relationship. Many people attend church faithfully week after week, pay their tithes and give their offerings and do charitable works of all sorts. Many are members of different committees and boards and give all sorts of energy to these works. But to have a victorious walk with the Lord Jesus Christ, it will take more than works, it will take a relationship. People have worked all their life in the name of the gospel and yet never knew the one they worked for in an intimate way. Some of you work on jobs and you work hard and are a great asset to your company, but you do not know the one who is the head of the company. Let me encourage you today that Jesus wants an intimate loving relationship with you. Ephesians 3:17-19 “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.” Spend time getting to know Him. You are the target of His love. And remember TO KNOW HIM IS TO LOVE HIM!

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MERCIES EVERY MORNING

July 15th, 2007

Lamentations 3:23
I would like to encourage you with a powerful Word from the Bible today. Psalms 119:89 says, “Forever O Lord thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations. Thou hast established the earth and it abideth”. A close look at this passage of scripture reveals to us that God’s Word is firmly fixed and stands sure without end. What God has said is unshakable by any act of man. Also, we can be assured and confident from this passage that He is faithful unto all generations. According to His Word then, we can be confident that we are included and entitled to stand on and trust in its power to work for us today.
In Lamentations 22 & 23, we read words that will bring us liberty and deliverance if we believe it and act upon it. Hear what God has said to us in this passage: “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not. They are NEW EVERY MORNING; great is thy faithfulness”. It is through God’s love and kindness that we have not come to destruction. His loving kindness is still for today and we cannot exhaust His goodness and compassion. It is only because of God’s mercy that we are still here and have another day to draw from His reservoir of mercy and love. Let me point out to you that according to verse 23, He has a never ending supply of mercy. Listen to this, “HIS MERCIES ARE NEW EVERY MORNING”. With the dawning of every new day there is a vast supply of mercy and compassion for those who trust in Him. His unfathomable supply will never come to an end. There is no bottom or end to this well of God’s mercy and forgiveness. You cannot use it up!! It is a promise of God to us. It is because of this immeasurable supply that we can lift up our head and look to Jesus to help us in every situation.
I know that many of you that are taking the time to read this have great needs. There are some things that are threatening your life. Perhaps you are sick, oppressed, confused or bound by something. You may feel that you cannot possibly expect God to do anything for you, even hear you, because you have failed Him over and over. You may be thinking that somehow you have been to Him so many times that you have exhausted His mercy and forgiveness. So, you just cannot expect His healing or deliverance. You feel you will be asking too much to expect Him to forgive you or help you again. It is, therefore, impossible for you to receive His healing and deliverance for your life or for the life of someone else you love. Maybe you have joined the ranks of those who feel that God is angry with you and that He is so disappointed with you that He has turned His face away and left you alone. Today, not tomorrow, I want you to believe that His word is true. Remember now that the word in Lamentations 3:22 says “IT IS OF THE LORD’S MERCIES THAT WE ARE NOT CONSUMED”. Ephesians 2:4 says “BUT GOD WHO IS RICH IN MERCY…”. If He ran out of mercy just for you, where would be the hope for the rest of the world? Psalms 23:6 says, “SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY SHALL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE”. An important word in this scripture is “ALL”. Notice this says, not a few days but ALL the days of my life. Psalms 86:5 says “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all that call upon thee”. “READY TO FORGIVE AND PLENTEOUS IN MERCY”. That is the Word to you today!!! Call unto Him, He is faithful. He will hear you. He will have mercy on YOU! You can not ask too much. He is listening for your voice.
Evangelist Sarah Banks

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NEW THINGS

July 15th, 2007

“Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it: I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:18-19
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How difficult it is many times to face changes in our lives. We have a tendency to want to avoid change because we become familiar with the way things are and it becomes a comfort zone in our lives. Changes can be very difficult for us to accept. But in every one of our lives, it is not something that we cannot avoid. Things change! It is inevitable that we must face change. Much depends on how we accept or adapt to the changes that we all have to face. There are seasons and times in our lives that we would like to hold on to forever. Then there are hurts and pains that we would like to forget and never think about again. There are good things and bad things in our past that we cannot change. All of us have some regrets and have experienced disappointments. Things, times, and people just change. Many times we fear change but we should not because with it can come great blessings that we have not yet looked upon when we trust Jesus. �
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This word of God from Isaiah 43:18-19 has been on my heart and I believe this is a word from the Lord to those of you who are reading this letter. “Behold, I will do a new thing.” Get ready for the Lord to do something new in your life. What He is about to do now is going to be better than what you experienced in the past. You may say “nothing can be as good as the past.” But I believe that you are about to experience a new blessing that the past cannot even compare with. He is saying “Look to me, I am doing a new thing. See, I have already begun! Don’t you see it? I am making a way through your wilderness and rivers in your dry places.” Get ready for the Lord to make a way where there has been no way and bring refreshing to you in those places in your life that have been dry. I believe He is saying “do not recall the past, no need to think about what was done before, no need to dwell on deeds of old, forget all of that. Cease to dwell on days gone by and to brood over past history. I am the God of now!” You will miss what He has for you now if you are always looking back and remembering former things. The end shall be greater than the beginning.
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Paul gives us a good word in the Book of Philippians 3rd Chapter. Verses 10-14. “That I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death, If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I have already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul is saying I am determined to know Jesus and experience the power of his resurrection and all that it means to share his sufferings, being continually transformed by his death in the hope that I might attain the reward of life from the dead. Not that I am already perfect,but I press on so that I might lay hold on that for which Christ also laid hold on me. I do not consider that I have captured it yet, but this one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind me, I press forward unto those things which are in front of me.” Paul said there were two things that he would do. He was going to forget the things that were behind him and he was going to press on.
Brothers and sisters, there is one thing that we must do if we want to reach forth unto those things which are before us. We must forget, leave behind, and stop pondering the past over and over in our minds. We cannot see what God is doing today if we always considering the things of old. NOW God is doing something new in your life. Good or bad, the past is yesterday. We must live today. We must press on. There is a new anointing for you now! There is a new revelation for you now! There is new happiness for you now! There is a new victory for you right now! Today is the day of salvation, not yesterday. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow has not yet come. Regret is a tool of the enemy. He will cloud your heart and mind with regrets. It is part of the devil’s strategy to keep you from receiving something new. We have to receive today! When the children of Israel collected the manna, they could only get today’s portion. They could not eat manna from yesterday because it would rot. God has something for you today! He has things for us in the future, but we can only live in today. When tomorrow arrives, it will then be today. “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Today is the day that he has made, and he has new things for us. Rejoice and be glad. Jesus is the God of today. Yes, we will face changes, but remember Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Times change, people change, circumstances change but God is the same. He will never leave you nor forsake you in your season of change.
Evangelist Sarah Banks

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“THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE”

July 15th, 2007

I Corinthians 13
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If I speak in the tongue of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and al knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
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Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trust, always perseveres.
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Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass way. For we know in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
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And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
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Paul says “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love BUT THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE”. This is not hard to understand. Paul declares that of the three that remain LOVE IS THE GREATEST. It is the one to be desired the most. He also says in the Chapter 14:1 – MAKE LOVE OUR AIM. It comes even before the desire for spiritual gifts.
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As I sought God for the New Year of 2004, I could think of more things than I could write on paper. Most of the time, when we make new resolutions, we want to be a better person, a better parent, or a better Christian. We ministers want a new blessing to carry on the work of God. Many make request to God for finances, health, love and marriage, jobs and so on. Many are expecting that new home, new car or new job.
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Some will be expecting a husband or a wife in 2004. All of these are good and God wants us to have our hearts desire, if it is according to His word. Sadly enough, we think that if we just believe it, it will happen just like that! However, I believe, according to God’s word, that even above our faith and our hope for the New Year, for all our requests and petitions, that God’s love in our hearts and lives are greater than these.
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Actually, the Bible says in Galatians 5:6, “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith worketh by love”.
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FAITH WORKETH BY LOVE!
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In other words, we can have faith for all these things we desire from God. We can look to the hope that He promises is ours. But I believe this scripture gives us a key to receiving. Our faith cannot receive the things we are believing God for unless it is generated by love. Love is the power behind our faith that causes the promises of God to be brought to us. We could relate it to something you can understand in a simple way. When the lights go out, the source of energy or power that keep them on has failed. When the power is generated again, the lights will come on. Love is the generator or power source that causes our faith to receive from God. Without love our faith does not work for us. If you are not receiving you may be having a love failure. Maybe you are holding on to anger and hatred toward someone. Maybe you have not forgiven a past hurt. Maybe you are touchy and resentful about everything. Do you envy others and have bitterness? Maybe you need to restore a relationship so your faith will have a way to receive.
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The Bible says, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free”. The truth about the condition of your love walk can set you free if you make a decision to walk in the love of God. I believe that 2004 will bring much more, if we have faith, hope and love but remember THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE.
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Paul said in I Corinthians 14:1, “Follow after love”. That means to make love your aim. Let’s aim for God’s unconditional love for one another in 2004. That is what Jesus has given to us, and look where He is today!

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Jesus Our Liberator

July 15th, 2007

Luke 4:18-19
“The spirit of the Lord is upon me.
Because He hath anointed me
To preach the gospel to the poor
He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted.
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind
To set at liberty those who are oppressed
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord
NKJ
Liberty to the Captives and the Oppressed!
The Bible says “For this purpose was the Son of God manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil.” The purpose of the Son of God to be sent in the flesh was to liberate us from sin and all of its offspring such as sickness, oppression, bondage, poverty, lack and want and all other powers of the enemy. The Bible declares that He has come to liberate us, to set us free, to recover us from every kind of destruction and captivity in life, even from death and hell.
The Bible says in Acts 10:38 “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
In Matthew 15:30-31 it says, “then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, dumb, maimed and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them. So they marveled when they saw the dumb speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.”
The Bible declares that “Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 Do you believe that? Many do not, therefore, they never find their liberation from their captivity. Hebrews 7:24-25 declares, “But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
I declare to you today, no matter what you are facing, what kind of captivity you are in, Jesus can set you free. It is not the will of God for us to live in misery, fear, and confusion, always filled with heartache and depression. It is not God’s will for you to be bound and taken captive by drugs, alcohol and addictions. It is not God’s will for you to be trapped in sin, sickness and condemnation. He can liberate you and set you completely free. He was born for you! He lived for you! He died for you! He went to Hell for you! He arose from the dead for you! He ascended to the throne of God for you! He intercedes in prayer for you! He loves you and desires your liberation and freedom from all destruction. It is already paid for! He paid your debt in full! No balance due! He is the God of New Beginnings!

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Go Ye

JESUS, OUR RESTORATION AND RECOVERY

YOUR “THIS” IS POSSIBLE

“TIS SO SWEET TO TRUST IN JESUS”

TO KNOW HIM IS TO LOVE HIM

MERCIES EVERY MORNING

NEW THINGS

“THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE”

Jesus Our Liberator

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